Engine block stripping apparatus

ABSTRACT

Disclosed is an apparatus in which movable elements engage opposite ends of, and rigidly hold, the crankshaft of a junked engine block, subsequently, an additional movable portion of the apparatus applies a force to one end of the engine block parallel to and above the crankshaft to fracture the engine block portions carrying the main crankshaft bearings. Finally, the movable elements holding the crankshaft are dropped or lowered to extract and separate the crankshaft, rods and pistons from the engine block.

United States Patent Inventors George R. Klempner;

Sam Rosenberg, Louisville, Ky. 801,668

Feb. 24, 1969 May 25, 1971 Foundry Suppliers, Inc. Louisville, Ky.

Appl. No. Filed Patented Assignee ENGINE BLOCK STRIPPING APPARATUS 3 Claims, 5 Drawing Figs. US. Cl 29/200, 225/ 103 Int. Cl B23p 19/00, 1326f 3/00 Field of Search 29/200;

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 861,724 7/1907 Hillix 225/104 3,067,498 12/1962 Tomka 225/104X Primary Examiner-Frank T. Yost Attorney-Woodard, Weikart, Emhardt & Naughton ABSTRACT: Disclosed is an apparatus in which movable elements engage opposite ends of, and rigidly hold, the crankshaft of a junked engine block, subsequently, an additional movable portion of the apparatus applies a force to one end of the engine block parallel to and above the crankshaft to fracture the engine block portions carrying the main crankshaft bearings. Finally, the movable elements holding the crankshaft are dropped or lowered to extract and separate the crankshaft, rods and pistons from the engine block.

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Geozmz $2 (LEM? a r Pmiminmsmn 3579784 SHEET 2- [1F 2 NVENTORS Giozfii KLEMPNEK BY SAM POSEMBERQ ENGINE BLOCK STRIPPING APPARATUS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Separation and salvaging of material in junked internal combustion engine blocks have been, in the past, accomplished by scrap-processors through various processes. Primarily, these have involved hand operations, using air harnmers, cutting torches, air wrenches and the more elaborate approaches to the problem have envisioned setting up, in effect, disassembly lines. The operation requires a considerable labor expenditure and the danger to workmen, because of relatively uncontrolled breaking or rupturing of the engine blocks, is relatively high. Another prior art process involves shattering or pulverizing the engine blocks, spreading the fragments on a conveyor and them separating the aluminum, steel and cast iron fragments by hand on the conveyor. The foundry consumers of the end product, however, find the crushed material resulting from this latter process somewhat unsatisfactory from the standpoint of use and handling.

In the U.S. Pat. application of Klempner et al. Ser. No. 759,454, filed Sept. 12, 1968, assigned to the assignee of the present invention, there is disclosed and claimed an apparatus for breaking and stripping the crankshaft and associated parts from an engine block casting, the apparatus being particularly adapted to process engines having a V-type cylinder configuration by producing a fracture of the block casting generally at the apex of the V. The apparatus of the present invention is particularly adapted to processing of engines of the in line cylinder configuration.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides for extracting the crankshaft and associated parts from an engine block with a minimum of handling of the engine blocks both before and after processing of the blocks in the apparatus.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of apparatus embodying the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic, top plan view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary, perspective view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary, perspective view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 3 but with an engine block in place in the apparatus.

FIG. 5 is a schematic, end view of an engine block being sized for insertion in the apparatus of FIGS. 1-4.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to FIGS. 1-4, the apparatus of the present invention includes a stationary engine block support, indicated generally at 10, which (as may best be seen in FIG. 2) is composed of two spaced table members 11 and 12. The stationary table members 11 and 12 support, along its outer margins, an engine block, indicated at 13 in FIG. 1, which is of the in-line cylinder type and which is to have the crankshaft and associated parts such as the pistons extracted from it. The engine block 13 may be moved into position onto the stationary support by means of a moving conveyor and overhead crane (not shown).

Mounted adjacent the stationary table members are crankshaft engaging elements 14 and 16 and these elements are adapted, when advanced, to engage the end portions 17 and 18 of the crankshaft of the engine block. Advancement and retraction of the engaging elements 14 and 16 is accomplished by the hydraulic cylinders 19 and 21, respectively, which thus provide power means for the engaging elements. Suitably controlled hydraulic fluid lines (indicated generally at 22 in FIG. 3) are attached to the hydraulic cylinders to control their operation.

Overlying the cylinder 21 is an additional power means taking the form of the hydraulic cylinder 23. Hydraulic cylinder 23 controls the extension andthe retraction of the plate 24 which forms a movable abutment adapted to engage the engine block above the crankshaft end 18. The plate forming movable abutment 24 is provided with an extending flange 24a which engages the tip of a flange 24b extending from the cover 27 (FIG. 4) for the power means assembly. As may best be seen in FIG. 1, the power means assembly composed of the hydraulic cylinders 19, 21 and 23 and their associated parts are all carried by a support member or yoke 28 which is vertically movable on the support column 29. Vertical motion of the support member 28 is provided by the hydraulic cylinder 31 having a thrust member 32 which is attached to the support member 28. It will be understood that the elements described in FIGS. 1 and 2 are shown schematically only, but that the supporting structure is fabricated of conventional structural members as will be evident from FIGS. 3 and 4.

In operation, an engine block 13 is lowered onto the table members 11 and 12, with the oil pan portion of the engine extending into the space between the table members, as indicated in FIG. 1. Hydraulic cylinder 19 is then extended so that the engaging element 14 engages the crankshaft end 17 and the hydraulic cylinder 21 is extended so that the engaging element 16 exerts a holding pressure against the adjacent end 18 of the crankshaft. With the crankshaft rigidly held between the engaging elements 16 and 14, the hydraulic cylinder 23 is then extended so that the movable abutment 24 engages the adjacent end surface of the engine block and applies a longitudinal shearing force to the engine block.

The amount of extension of the movable abutment 24 is controlled so that sufficient force is applied to the engine block to fracture the partitions (not shown) in the engine block holding the main bearings and thus loosening the crankshaft from the block. Normally, an extension of 2 to 4 inches is required. Subsequently, the hydraulic cylinder 23 is reversed so that the abutment 24 is again placed in its retracted position and out of engagement with the engine block 13. With the crankshaft loose within the engine block but rigidly held by the engaging elements 14 and 16, the hydraulic cylinder 31 is actuated so as to lower the support member 28 thereby extracting the crankshaft, rods and pistons attached to the crankshaft from the lower portion of the engine block. The stripped engine block, supported on the spaced table members 11 and 12, may then be pushed sidewardly off the table members and onto a suitable conveyor (not shown). The hydraulic cylinders 19 and 21 may then be retracted freeing the crankshaft and associated parts from the engaging elements 14 and 16 with the disengaged crankshaft and associated parts then dropping onto a slide plate and moved thereby to a suitable conveyor (not shown). Subsequently, the support member 28 may be returned to its position of FIG. 1 and the process repeated with the next engine block placed on the table members.

As will be evident from the foregoing, initial proper placement of the randomly sized engine blocks requires that the lower portion of the engine, the oil pan area, extend between the spaced tables 11 and 12. Because of the relatively large variation in width of the oil pan area of a random run of engine blocks, there is some difficulty involved in properly placing the blocks in position on the table members 11 and 12. This difficulty has been overcome by means of the method schematically illustrated at FIG. 5. Prior to processing by the apparatus described with reference to FIGS. 1-4, the engine blocks moving on the incoming conveyor are bypassed to an apparatus, indicated schematically at 41 in FIG. 5, which includes opposed hydraulic pressure plates 42 and 43. The pressure plates are adapted to engage the oil pan 44 of the engine block 46, engagement of the plates 42 and 43 being along opposed longitudinal sides of the pan area. The plates 42 and 43 are then forced toward each other, into their broken line position of FIG. 5, and the engine block oil pan is thereby deformed into a unifonn width. This uniform width, defined by the amount of extension of the pressure plates 42 and 43, is chosen so that it provides a uniform width to each engine block oil pan area such that it may be inserted in the space between the support tables 11 and 12 when the block is moved back to the crankshaft stripping apparatus previously described. The method preforms the oil pan section of the randomly sized engine blocks to a uniform width rather than utilizing the more obvious and more difficult scheme in which the horizontal position of the stationary table members 11 and 12, and hence the space between them, is adjustable. The arrangement greatly facilitates the rapidity of operation and the overall effectiveness of the crankshaft stripping apparatus previously described.

lclaim:

1. An apparatus for extracting the crankshaft and associated parts from an internal combustion engine block comprising: a stationary engine block support, aligned and opposed engaging elements adjacent said support, power means for advancing and retracting said engaging elements toward and away from each other to grip and release the ends of the crankshaft in an engine block placed between said elements on said stationary support, a movable abutment disposed adjacent one of said engaging elements, power means for moving said abutment generally parallel to the direction of motion of said engaging elements while said elements are in crankshaft gripping position to thereby apply a longitudinal shearing force to the engine block, said engaging elements and movable abutment being carried by a unitary support member and means for moving said support member in a direction transverse to the direction of motion of said abutment and elements to separate the crankshaft from the engine block.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which each of said powers means takes the form of a separate hydraulic cylinder.

3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which said stationary engine block support takes the form of spaced table members adapted to engage the outer side portions of an engine block with the crankshaft in the engine block aligned with the space between the table members. 

1. An apparatus for extracting the crankshaft and associated parts from an internal combustion engine block comprising: a stationary engine block support, aligned and opposed engaging elements adjacent said support, power means for advancing and retracting said engaging elements toward and away from each other to grip and release the ends of the crankshaft in an engine block placed between said elements on said stationary support, a movable abutment disposed adjacent one of said engaging elements, power means for moving said abutment generally parallel to the direction of motion of said engaging elements while said elements are in crankshaft gripping position to thereby apply a longitudinal shearing force to the engine block, said engaging elements and movable abutment being carried by a unitary support member and means for moving said support member in a direction transverse to the direction of motion of said abutment and elements to separate the crankshaft from the engine block.
 2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which each of said powers means takes the form of a separate hydraulic cylinder.
 3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which said stationary engine block support takes the form of spaced table members adapted to engage the outer side portions of an engine block with the crankshaft in the engine block aligned with the space between the table members. 